Since January 2025, the U.S. government has removed approximately 230,000 U.S. residents who were born in other countries and turned away 270,000 more non-citizens trying to enter the U.S. — already outpacing all four years of President Biden’s term for deportation. As of mid-January 2026, more than 73,000 foreign-born U.S. residents were being detained (imprisoned) throughout the nation.
The numbers are staggering, but equally chilling are the images and stories of families torn apart and people lost in a system that has expanded beyond its capacity and, arguably, also beyond its Constitutional legality. So, although Philadelphia has not experienced the mass detainments or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions that Los Angeles, Chicago or Minneapolis, the city’s 250,000 residents born in other countries (16 percent of Philly’s population) are feeling more vulnerable than ever before.
Who are Philadelphia’s immigrants?
Philadelphians from other countries are, Welcoming Center CEO Anuj Gupta wrote in The Citizen, 43 percent more likely to start businesses. Some 45 percent earn over $50,000 annually, “contributing to rebuilding a tax base in America’s poorest big city.” Statewide, Gupta notes, immigrants paid over $11 billion in taxes in 2021, a result of another important fact: Nearly 80 percent of PA immigrants are of working age, compared to 61.5 percent of PA’s aging U.S.-born population.
Overall, immigrants in the U.S. obey laws at much higher rates than U.S.-born residents and that, for the past century, immigrant-rich neighborhoods are the safest neighborhoods. Most Philadelphia immigrants are U.S. citizens, are here on work or study visas, have refugee status, or are awaiting an immigration hearing. Some 50,000 out of 250,000 Philadelphia immigrants are considered “undocumented,” meaning they are not currently participating in legal processes to obtain legal residence.
In Philadelphia as elsewhere, immigrants under threat of detainment or deportation are less likely to seek help for crimes committed against them. And, since Trump declared churches, schools and hospitals are no longer protected from ICE raids, immigrants who fear arrest are now less likely to commune, learn and seek medical care.
These folks are workers, students, and community leaders, but above all, they are our neighbors who deserve the same dignity and safety as the rest of us. If you are concerned about these neighbors’ safety or status, you might want to consider supporting organizations in Philadelphia where you can help preserve their American dreams.
Understand “sanctuary city.”
In 2016, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order stating “the City of Philadelphia should not comply with detainer requests unless they are supported by a judicial warrant and they pertain to an individual being released after conviction for a first or second-degree felony involving violence.” This order, many said, established Philadelphia as a “sanctuary city.”
The Citizen’s Roxanne Patel Shepelavy explains Philadelphia’s policy this way: “In essence, the City treats everyone who is arrested the same: Whether documented, undocumented, or a citizen, they are released when a judge says to do so — unless another law enforcement agency has a warrant for their arrest.” (Note: Being undocumented is not a criminal offense. It’s civil, and therefore does not merit a judicial warrant.)
Does that mean undocumented people are safe from ICE in Philadelphia, as long as they don’t commit a crime? Not at all.
ICE has not reported out all the arrests it has made in Philadelphia, but immigrant rights nonprofit Juntos conservatively estimates their agents detained at least 90 residents in 2025 at Philadelphia Immigration Court alone. Many more Philadelphians have been detained on the job, in a park, at home in South Philly on the Fourth of July. Some, including a Temple student, have voluntarily self-deported.
Current Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker is less vocal than her predecessor about federal involvement in the city’s immigrant communities. In January 2026, members of Philadelphia City Council introduced “ICE Out” legislation to prohibit agents from concealing their identity, prohibit city agencies from collaborating with ICE, and prohibit ICE from conducting raids or operations on city-owned property. As of March 2026, that legislation was still under consideration.
To sum up: The City of Philadelphia can only do so much to protect its residents.
IMMIGRANT-CENTERED ORGANIZATIONS YOU CAN SUPPORT
Juntos: Advocacy and programming for Hispanic Philadelphians
South Philadelphia-based Juntos has served the local Latino community since 2002. Much of Juntos’ work is around activism, community organizing and legislation. They support efforts to close immigrant detention centers, keep ICE out of schools, and end deportations.
Juntos also offers individual services, such as help with landlords, family court filings, public benefit enrollment, utility activation and food, through Solidarity Bank, their member-led initiative to get food and resources to Philadelphia’s underserved immigrant communities. Juntos gives out food every other week, 11am to 2pm and have created “know your rights” guides in Spanish and English.
For youth, Juntos also offer programming to help build leadership and civic engagement. They are also behind community celebrations, including arts and cultural programs.
What Juntos needs:
Interns: Juntos has several internship programs: supporting community organizing, youth programming, executive programming, media and community care. All Juntos interns must be bilingual in English and Spanish.
Juntos also maintains a rapid response hotline — (814) 205-3293 — where you can report ICE sightings. They remind callers to focus on specifics, referring to the S.A.L.U.T.E. method, listed below.
- Size: How many officers?
- Activity: What are they doing?
- Location: Where are they?
- Uniform: What are they wearing?
- Time: What is the time and date?
- Equipment: What do they have with them?
They’re asking for volunteers to help maintain this hotline.
Monetary donations, including direct donations to to provide basic needs for those in detention at PA’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
600 Washington Avenue, (215) 218-9079
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia (NSM): faith-based advocacy
In 2007 a group of Philadelphia clergy formed this grassroots organization to offer “bold, faith-rooted vision for immigrant justice.” Based in Kensington, NSM spearheads direct action advocacy campaigns — currently, fighting against ICE detentions and advocating for unmarked driver’s licenses (that do not indicate the licensee’s immigration status) in PA, among other immigration-related reforms. NSM have demonstrated in Harrisburg, initiated letter-writing campaigns and established a community fund for bond and legal support.
Their goal: Help build power in these marginalized communities.
What they need:
More voices to help with direct action. Monetary donations.
Wednesdays at noon, they invite like-minded folks to attend an interfaith vigil outside of Philadelphia’s ICE field office at 114 N. 8th Street.
2601 Potter Street, (215) 279-7060
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter / X
Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians: job training and networking
Founded in 2003 by Anne O’Callaghan, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland in 1970, this nonprofit focuses on economic opportunities for new arrivals from around the world, offering leadership training, a pathway to join a skilled trade, business planning courses, and classes in English and digital proficiency. The Welcoming Center’s Immigrant Marché (marketplace) sells crafts, food and beauty products made by clients.
What they need:
Laptop donations.
211 N. 13th Street, 4th Floor, (215) 557-2626
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter / X
Nationalities Services Center (NSC): food, healthcare, legal protection, ESL, housing support
Since 1922, this nonprofit has provided legal protection, refugee reception and placement, community integration, access to physical and mental health and wellness services and opportunities to achieve English proficiency, among other services. Their goal: Build stable futures for individuals and families to empower immigrants and refugees to thrive in our communities to pursue a just and dignified future. They offer newcomer support, legal services, help finding healthcare, and support for survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, and torture.
What they need:
Volunteers: To teach and tutor English, prepare home-cooked meals, help set up new housing. They also hire interns to help run their large resource base.
Goods: Gift cards and hygiene products are some of the in-kind donations the NSC accepts every Wednesday from noon to 3pm at their office at 1216 Arch Street. If you’re interested in hosting a drive for supplies at your work, school, church, etc., email mhecker@nscphila.org.
Workers: They also offer a Year of Service opportunities for qualifying seniors (ages 55 and up), Americorps VISTA positions, along with ESL instructors, community service coordinators and more.
1215 Arch Street, 4th floor, (215) 893-8400
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter / X
No ICE Philly
Relative to the other orgs on this list, No ICE Philly is a relatively new group of activists who focus on pressuring city leadership and businesses not to collaborate with ICE. One of the louder ways to support them: Join them early Monday mornings from 6:30 to 8:30am, when they conduct a noise demo outside of the ICE field office on N. 8th Street. They’ve also been protesting and demonstrating to encourage Target, Enterprise Mobility (whose Rent-A-Car operation has done business with the agency, renting cars to ICE agents to use for detainment work), and the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office to not cooperate with ICE. This Google doc is a running list of their upcoming activities.
What they need:
People who like to protest; artists who like to design posts, signs or fliers.
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) PA: social services and legal support
Founded in 1882 to serve Jewish refugees, HIAS has since expanded to “welcome the stranger.” From 2024 to 2025, the HIAS served 4,713 clients and provided 7,672 legal and social services (ESL, after-school mentoring, refugee resettlement, and all manner of legal support — asylum, family unification, protection against abuse) to individuals from 128 countries.
HIAS also offers know-your-rights training to schools, churches and other community groups along with training for domestic violence advocates, school personnel, and social workers.
What they need:
Volunteers: pro bono attorneys, airport greeters, delivery drivers, meal preppers and grocery shoppers, translators and interpreters. HIAS also provides advocacy resources on their website for those hoping to enact change by calling legislators and starting discourse on immigration rights.
Donations: While refugee arrivals are suspended, HIAS cannot accept donated household items and recommends inquiring with their nonprofit partners about making in-kind donations. HIAS does, however, accept monetary donations.
123 S. Broad Street, Suite 950, (215) 832-0900
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Pennsylvania Immigrant Coalition (PICC):
Clearinghouse for immigrant support orgs
Above list too long? Reach out to this nearly 20-year-old coalition of 60 community groups, legal service providers, healthcare organizations, labor groups, and faith communities to find out what work needs to be done most urgently, and where you might fit in. Some of PICC’s overall efforts: Nonpartisan voter registration, new citizen civic education. They also publish a list of essential resources for immigrants concerned with being detained by ICE.
What they need:
Volunteers: to phone bank, support get out the vote efforts and direct action (protests, trips to Harrisburg), perform data entry, create art or graphics.
1900 Market Street, Suite 800
Facebook, LinkedIn, X / Twitter
LEGAL AID SERVICES
These Philadelphia nonprofits specialize in legal issues surrounding immigration.
Community Legal Services (CLS)
What they need:
Monetary donations.
Employees: They are currently hiring for staff positions.
1424 Chestnut Street and 1410 W. Erie Avenue open in-person Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to noon. (215) 981-3700 is CLS’s live hotline for legal help, open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm. For landlord-tenant issues, call (267) 443-2500; or contact online.
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky
Catholic Charities of Philadelphia – Immigration Legal Services
This long-standing organization — dating back to 1797 — offers a variety of services, including a full complement of low-cost legal help for immigrants and refugees. These include naturalization and citizenship, asylum, family-based petitions, employment and travel authorization, Green Card replacement and renewal, relief for victims of serious crimes, including domestic abuse, deportation defense, and representation before both the immigrant court and the Board of Immigration Appeals. The organization also assists detained individuals — and accepts “all persons regardless of their religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, political opinion, national origin or ethnicity.”
What they need:
Volunteers to: Help clients prepare for citizenship test, answer intake phones in English and Spanish, Monday through Wednesday from 9am to 1pm, do legal research for asylum applicants, interpret, work at various food pantries across Philly.
Open Monday through Wednesdays from 9am to 1pm. Walk-ins not accepted.
222 N. 17th Street, Suite 901, (215) 854-7019 (English or Spanish)
Justice at Work
Formerly Friends of Farmworkers, this nonprofit has a staff of attorneys and paralegals to assist with workplace and wage issues and education for immigrants and low-wage workers. Issues Justice at Work helps ameliorate for its clients: discrimination, unpaid wages and wage theft, labor trafficking, other workplace exploitation and immigration issues, including notario fraud (falsely providing legal advice to immigrants).
What they need:
990 Spring Garden Street, Suite 300, (215) 733-0878
Facebook, Instagram
Defender Association of Philadelphia
Since 1934, the Defenders Association of Philadelphia has existed to make sure Philadelphians — both adults and children — have access to justice and legal representation. They also help connect clients to social services, and assist in prosecuting police misconduct. Recently, the legal organization launched a new immigration defenders unit to help people who’ve been detained by ICE.
BE AN ADVOCATE
Call your legislators.
We can’t say this enough: Phoning your legislators is the most effective way to tell your elected representatives what you want them to do. For Pennsylvanians, this means reaching out to your one U.S. representative and both U.S. senators (John Fetterman and Dave McCormick).
Calls work better than petitions, emails, snail mail or social media (although face-to-face time with your congresspeople is great too, via town halls, office visits and events). Why? It’s common practice on Capitol Hill for phone answerers to report out to their bosses on the three most called-about topics at both local and Washington, D.C. offices. Volume matters.
This comic provides comprehensive, step-by-step instructions on how to start the call — including a sample transcript and tips. Find contact details of all your federal, state and local elected officials here.
Calling is quicker and easier than you might think. No worries if you’re nervous at first. By the time you end the call, you’ll feel relieved and empowered.
March
Follow the above groups on your preferred social media platform for updates on protests and direct actions, especially:
Juntos: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter / X
New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter / X
Check in with your immigrant or undocumented friends
Imagine not knowing how to plan for your future. Hiding for fear of deportation. Worrying about your family and education — worrying about stepping outside to go to work, shop for groceries, pick their kids up from school. That’s what many immigrants are dealing with today. Ask how they’re doing. Lend an ear without interrupting. Give them your unwavering support. A text, call, get-together and care package can go a long way.
Patronize immigrant-run businesses
Immigrants live, work and operate businesses in every Philadelphia neighborhood. You’ll find concentrations in the S. 9th Street (formerly Italian) Market, Chinatown, West Philadelphia, Pennsport, along Washington Avenue, Port Richmond, North 5th Street, and the Northeast.
Attend fundraisers
The Welcoming Center’s Solas Awards on April 14, 2026 celebrates individuals in Philly who have helped improve the quality of life for immigrants.
The Nationalities Service Center’s annual fall fundraiser Global Tastes lets you eat your way around the world — and hear speakers making a major difference in Philadelphia’s immigrant community.
MORE ON IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES IN PHILLY